This is a brilliant case study in journalism and research, and could serve as a great guideline for students and budding journalists on how to approach researching nearly anything they have a...
This is a brilliant case study in journalism and research, and could serve as a great guideline for students and budding journalists on how to approach researching nearly anything they have a question about.
And the inline notes are great! I had to pause a moment after reading this one though.
And the inline notes are great!
I had to pause a moment after reading this one though.
Believe it or not, I was specifically trained by the military as a geo-spatial analyst to identify bridges in black and white aerial photographs taken in the 1960s. The training was on Russian bridges with decidedly more strategic utility than these pedestrian bridges, but the same principles apply: size, shape, shade, shadow, surroundings!
One thing the author misses is the scale of what they're proposing. If you actually map out what is involved in traveling to one of the adjacent bridges, you see that it's not a few hundred feet,...
Why would you build a pedestrian bridge to an empty field?! That makes even less sense. Yes there is a neighborhood south of the field, but if you are in that neighborhood surely you could just use the sidewalk on one of those other two bridges a few hundred feet to the east or west. Why build the bridge?
One thing the author misses is the scale of what they're proposing. If you actually map out what is involved in traveling to one of the adjacent bridges, you see that it's not a few hundred feet, it's a kilometer. Plus that route would involve crossing many lanes of vehicle traffic, including many lanes of traffic merging on and off the freeway. Interstate access ramps are some of the most hazardous lanes for pedestrians to try and cross, as drivers are already in the mental state of driving on a freeway. They're primed to drive fast and not look for pedestrians, so access roads are very dangerous for pedestrians.
Historically, it turned out that this neighborhood didn't see the development that would warrant a pedestrian bridge, but it could have. And in the future it might be redeveloped to where the bridge makes more sense. But it's important to consider the actual distances involved. Drivers often get exasperated at pedestrians trying to cross major thoroughfares where there isn't a crosswalk. But on many arterial roads, "simply going to a stoplight" often involves going a mile or more out of your way. What seems like a short distance in a car is actually quite a long distance by foot.
That is a long read but satisfying I wish I could give it more than one upvote, but in this case, take my upvote I have read books less interesting than that :-)
That is a long read but satisfying
I wish I could give it more than one upvote, but in this case, take my upvote
This pedestrian bridge crosses I-494 just west of the Minneapolis Airport. It connects Bloomington to Richfield. I drive under it often and I wondered: why is it there? It's not in an area that is particularly walkable, and it doesn't connect any establishments that obviously need to be connected. So why was it built?
What a magnificent quest! I wish I had half the focus and persistence it took to ferret out the definitive answer to the question. It's a miracle that we know anything at all about modern history,...
What a magnificent quest! I wish I had half the focus and persistence it took to ferret out the definitive answer to the question.
It's a miracle that we know anything at all about modern history, and I'm grateful to Tyler Vigen and all who sift for knowledge buried in paperwork.
It's also a window into the overall problem of keyword-indexed search when meanings are constantly shifting (who hyphenates superhighway, or even uses "super" as a modifier of "highway" anymore?). Couple that with the entropy of knowledgeable people dropping dead, lack of documentation, inaccurate documentation, deliberate obfuscation by people hiding money trails or improper political interventions...
Great. And a happy ending! In one of the notes ("how to use it") it says "a core tenant" but it should be "a core tenet", right? I've seen this more than a few times in American English, so I have...
Great. And a happy ending!
In one of the notes ("how to use it") it says "a core tenant" but it should be "a core tenet", right? I've seen this more than a few times in American English, so I have to ask. I'm from the United Kingdom so communicate in British English.
This is a brilliant case study in journalism and research, and could serve as a great guideline for students and budding journalists on how to approach researching nearly anything they have a question about.
And the inline notes are great!
I had to pause a moment after reading this one though.
The first thing to always do: pick up the phone.
One thing the author misses is the scale of what they're proposing. If you actually map out what is involved in traveling to one of the adjacent bridges, you see that it's not a few hundred feet, it's a kilometer. Plus that route would involve crossing many lanes of vehicle traffic, including many lanes of traffic merging on and off the freeway. Interstate access ramps are some of the most hazardous lanes for pedestrians to try and cross, as drivers are already in the mental state of driving on a freeway. They're primed to drive fast and not look for pedestrians, so access roads are very dangerous for pedestrians.
Historically, it turned out that this neighborhood didn't see the development that would warrant a pedestrian bridge, but it could have. And in the future it might be redeveloped to where the bridge makes more sense. But it's important to consider the actual distances involved. Drivers often get exasperated at pedestrians trying to cross major thoroughfares where there isn't a crosswalk. But on many arterial roads, "simply going to a stoplight" often involves going a mile or more out of your way. What seems like a short distance in a car is actually quite a long distance by foot.
This was shockingly fascinating. I didn’t expect to be so enthralled by an article with such a boring premise.
That is a long read but satisfying
I wish I could give it more than one upvote, but in this case, take my upvote
I have read books less interesting than that :-)
Reminds me (a bit) of CGP Grey’s rabbit hole video(s?) about the name Tiffany.
What a magnificent quest! I wish I had half the focus and persistence it took to ferret out the definitive answer to the question.
It's a miracle that we know anything at all about modern history, and I'm grateful to Tyler Vigen and all who sift for knowledge buried in paperwork.
It's also a window into the overall problem of keyword-indexed search when meanings are constantly shifting (who hyphenates superhighway, or even uses "super" as a modifier of "highway" anymore?). Couple that with the entropy of knowledgeable people dropping dead, lack of documentation, inaccurate documentation, deliberate obfuscation by people hiding money trails or improper political interventions...
Great. And a happy ending!
In one of the notes ("how to use it") it says "a core tenant" but it should be "a core tenet", right? I've seen this more than a few times in American English, so I have to ask. I'm from the United Kingdom so communicate in British English.